The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel, also referred to as a PDP, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel having a electrodes and barrier ribs, formed by a photo-etching method.
Generally, a plasma display panel has a display element in which a gas is introduced and sealed between upper and lower electrodes, i.e., an anode and cathode which are formed respectively on two glass substrates, and numerals or letters may be displayed by utilizing the gas discharge produced in accordance with applying a voltage to said electrodes.
The general structure of the (plasma) discharge displaying panel is of a matrix which is formed with an anode composed of a plurality of parallel electrodes extending in one direction, and a cathode group composed of a plurality of parallel electrodes extending in a direction crossing said anode group, in which each confronting crossing point of each set of electrodes formed by said anode group and cathode group forms the luminant (light emitting) display means, i.e., picture element(pixel), and barrier ribs for preventing the diffusion of the plasma glow produced at the cathode are provided between the respective pixels.
Japanese laid open patent No. 150,248/ 1983, which is a prior art reference showing a gas discharge displaying panel having such a electrode structure, describes the forming of the insulation barrier ribs of predetermined height, for preventing the diffusion of the plasma glow generated, by a normal screen printing method so as to direct the plasma to the cathode group from the surface of the substrate of the anode group.
However, when manufacturing the electrodes and barrier ribs of the plasma display panel(hereinafter abreviated as PDP) by using the aforementioned normal screen printing method, the following problems arise.
That is, when using a screen printing method, although the screen mask should be made for printing and pattern forming, the screen mask can not formed in a precise pattern.
Such a screen mask is typically made by fixing polyester yarn or stainless mesh to a frame made of aluminium at a predetermined tension, spreading a photosensitive resin thereon and then forming the desired pattern. The PDP is manufactured by setting the screen mask made as above, and printing the paste for the anodes or cathodes on the surface of a glass substrate and further printing the paste for the barrier ribs through said screen mask.
As described above, in manufacturing the electrodes and of barrier ribs the PDP according to such conventional screen printing methods, because of the problem of making precisely and elaborately the screen mask pattern, i.e., the capability of making the line width of the mask up to several hundred microns is barely reached, it has been impossible to manufacture in conformity with the tendency of larger PDPs.